Novak Djokovic said he was encouraged by the way his body was responding ahead of the China Open as the 24-time Grand Slam champion looks to rebuild momentum at one of his favorite stops on the calendar following recent fitness concerns.
Djokovic is set to return to action for the first time since his surprise first-round loss to Mariano Navone at the US Open late last month. The 39-year-old struggled with shoulder and back problems during the match and vomited midway through the contest.
The world No. 11 will hope to put those issues behind him when he faces Portugal's Nuno Borges in the first round in Beijing this week.
“Yeah, feeling good so far,” six-time China Open champion Djokovic told reporters Monday.
“Let's see. Obviously, it's completely different when you're playing an official match compared with practice sets or practice sessions. But so far, so good.
“I was looking forward to coming to China, as I always have. My record speaks for itself on Chinese soil.
“Knowing that, it also brings this dimension of confidence that I really need. Overall, it's been really good so far with the body, the way I'm feeling and playing.”
The former world No. 1 is a massive draw in Beijing, where he won the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and holds a 29-0 win-loss record at the ATP 500 tournament.
The pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title remains one of the few major targets left for Djokovic, who has become increasingly selective about his tournament schedule in recent years.
“At this stage of my career, it's really also about the tournaments where I enjoy playing, where I've had success in the past, where I feel like I'm also welcomed by the fans in a positive light, in a positive way,” Djokovic added.
“The history of my results on Chinese soil has been incredible. I haven't played here in 11 years. I was trying to make it work in the past years with the schedule, but it worked in such a way where I played only Shanghai.
“This year, Beijing was on the priority list.”
